Man is full of desires. As he fulfils some, more of them arise. Whatever be the age, some desire always remains with the man. And when he knows that his days are numbered, he chooses at least one wish that he wants to get fulfilled before leaving the world.
Mostly, the last wish is the fulfilment of strongest desire unfulfilled. It may be to see a child getting married or to visit some place for the last time or to meet someone. If there is some guilt in the heart, in these moments, the man wants to see the person whom he had hurt and wants to ask for his forgiveness. Vinod Khanna, a famous actor, died while wanting to visit his ancestral house in Peshawar, Pakistan for one last time. His wish remained unfulfilled owing to his prolonged illness. Rishi Kapoor wanted to see his son Ranbir Kapoor married before leaving this world. His last wish too remained unfulfilled.
SaheedBhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev had an unusual last wish. They wanted to be blown away by a cannon or shot dead by the British. Asking for mercy was out of question for them. However, the British refused to fulfil their last wish.
Man never gets satisfied with his own works and wants to do better. Lying on his death bed, RabindraNath Tagore wanted to write his best poems. Though he was awarded Noble prize for Gitanjali, he always thought that the poems written so far by him were not his best ones. His last wish too remained unfulfilled as death knows no desire, no power.
Gandhi’s last wish was to disband Congress and develop it into a LokSewakSangh. His last wish was also not fulfilled. Nehru expressed that after his death, his body be cremated and his ashes be sprinkled over the fields in India to mingle with the soil of this country. Dev Anand’s last wish was to see his friend Dilip Kumar on his birthday and present a bouquet to him. Unfortunately, he departed aweek before Dilip Kumar’s birthday. On Dilip Kumar’s birthday, Dev Anand’s son Sunil Anand was invited by SairaBanu and he presented a bouquet to Dilip Kumar on behalf of his father. M K Pataudi wished that his grave be inscribed with the words, ‘Love me when I am dead and don’t let me die’ which was fulfilled by his successors.
Coming to some famous singers, Manna Dey’s last wish was to record an emotional love song in memory of his deceased wife Sulochana and to sing till his last breath. It didn’t happen. Jagjit Singh had perhaps no desire left after the sudden departure of his son, Vivek, at a young age. Thinking of history, Maharaja Ranjit Singh wished that Kohinoor, his favourite diamond, be bequeathed to JaganNathPuri temple after his departure. His last wish was never fulfilled and the Kohinoor was taken away by the British. Daanveer Karna though supported the Kauravas, had the last wish that his last rites be performed by Lord Krishna himself. His wish was fulfilled by Lord Krishna.
I often think of my own last wish and find that it will remain unfulfilled as there is no time machine that may take me back, at least once, to my childhood to be in the company of my parents and my siblings.
